User Manual

Serial, Parallel, and Layer
Node Tree Structures
There are several ways you can organize nodes in a tree. Each method lets you control a group
of image processing operations in different ways to achieve specific results. This section covers
how to use Serial nodes, Parallel nodes, and Layer nodes, as well as how to use LUTs, work
with HDR media that lets you combine two different exposures using two different Source
inputs, and apply additional project-wide adjustments using the Timeline grade.
Serial Node Structures
The simplest, and most common node structure is a serial cascade of nodes, where a linear
series of nodes is connected, one after another.
Serial nodes, where the output of one node feeds an altered image to the next
Much of the time, this method of constructing a tree of multiple operations is all you need to do.
It’s a simple and intuitive way of organizing your adjustments, similar in principle to the stacks of
layers used in other grading and compositing applications to apply multiple operations to a clip.
Controlling What Feeds a Node’s RGB Input
When you create a grade using serially arranged nodes, each node’s output is used as the next
node’s input, so the order in which the nodes are arranged determines the order of image
processing operations.
In the following screenshot, the node tree shows a series of three operations that are applied to
a log-exposed, low-contrast clip. The first node expands clip contrast and increases saturation.
The second node isolates the sky to intensify its color. The third desaturates and warms the
image. At right, you can see the result of this node tree.
Node 2 pulls a clean key from the image data fed it by Node 1
If, instead, we reversed the order of Nodes 2 and 3, the result will be a less effective key.
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